Long-time readers may remember that I once was afraid to wear necklaces. I am pleased to say that I have conquered that anxiety.
Through aversion-therapy, acquisitions, and experimentation over the last fifteen years, I have developed a number of theories about necklaces as well as guidelines for wearing them. But just two months ago, I achieved a real breakthrough.
I realized that a necklace that combines gold and pearlescent elements may be the O-Negative of the jewelry box: The Universal Donor. It gives to everything.
Important, Unrelated Disclaimer: The yellow in my front hall is beautiful and softer than it appears in these photos.+
. . . pay a little attention, but focus on the necklace
Do you see how the colors/tones of this necklace work in a way that a gold necklace or a silver necklace or a pearl necklace may not have worked?
Come closer! That’s a command, not an invitation.
I am going to take my rhapsodizing one step further, and posit that this necklace — eight beads — works better than a circlet of beads (going the whole way around my neck) would have.
You may be thinking, “That’s all well and good for you, Directrice — a person who takes jewelry off the backs of her wedding guests — but what are the rest of us, without Venetian beads, to do?”
A fair question! But first, I must protest that I did not take the jewelry “off a wedding guest.” I accepted the jewelry as a gift after the wedding. I am not a monster.
But let’s not quibble about the past. I’ve given your quandary some thought.
First, you could try to find some Venetian glass beads on the internet.
Failing that, you could substitute gold beads and fat, Baroque (cultured) pearls. Wouldn’t that combination also be beautiful?
Let’s come back for a moment, and feast our eyes.
My wedding guest has such great style, such a great eye. I never would have thought to combine these two colors.
You may remember that this necklace was originally a bracelet?
Wearing these beads as a necklace works better for me, for reasons we’ve previously discussed.
This necklace works as beautifully with a simple navy blue dress as it does with the more complicated red ensemble. That’s genius.
The details on the dresses appear in these earlier posts: Blouse Under Dress and The Pendulum Swings Back. The story of the necklace appears in this post: Be Prepared.
+ It’s Benjamin Moore Crowne Hill Yellow mixed to 50% strength. But I have decided, as part of the apartment refresh, to replace this color with a patterned wallpaper, to paint the kitchen a different yellow . . . it goes on and on. I think I will have to write a post about it.
* Whenever I wear a classic dress with lo-bloc heels, I present myself to The Photographer and say, “I look like such a lady” with the sincerity and delight one might expect from a six year old playing dress up. It’s always a surprise.
Indeed you always look like a lady, even in the goofiest and poofiest of your pics on this blog.
The O-negative of my jewelry box are dark Tahitian pearls, which seem to go with everything, without evoking white gloves and wedding parties, unlike white ones. And speaking of universal solutions, I think the combination of the impeccable navy dress with the festive beads would qualify too.
Thanks for writing and sharing, and hope you have a wonderful new year!
I confess I, too, like to look like a lady. It seems so outdated, at least in my circles. Yet perhaps it’s just the thing we need. And in fact, the other day, I was dressed in full on Mary Tyler Moore from The Dick Van Dyke Show — cigarette pants, cardigan, blouse– and my 19 year old daughter, who only wears flannel, said I looked “very classy.” Made my week!
Happy New Year!
The necklace is very versatile – I’m now rummaging through my beads, bracelets included, to find something similar.
I think dressing appropriately is our responsibility. It is our civic duty. It doesn’t require a lot of money… just a modicum of taste.